Receptacle drain



s. April 1,1924. I 1,488,771

R. A. AINSA RECEPTAGLE DRAIN Filed Sept. 27. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 3 mom M01 April 1, 1924. 1,488,771

' R. A. AINSA RECEPTACLE DRA I N Filed Sept. 27. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 amvewtoz I Qbtoweiao April' 1 1924.

R. A. AINSA REQEPTACLE DRAIN 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 27. 1922 3] wvew fo c Patented Apr. 1, 1924.

siren STATES Fries.

R-ICHABD A. AINSA, OF EL PASO, TEXAS.

REOEPTACLE DRAIN.

Application filed September 27, 1922. Serial No. 590,969.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD: A. AINsA, a citizen of the United States, residing at El Paso, in the county of El Paso and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Receptacle Drains; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

My invention relates to devices for carrying off waste water or otherliquid from receptacles and has reference more particularly to a device of this character designed primarily for attachment to the waste water outlet of a refrigerator.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a. device of the character set forth which will operate by capillary attraction, so'that the drippings will travel throughout the length of a capillary cord, wick or the like.

In carrying out the above end, a further object is to provide a novel arrangement of parts for properly supporting the capillary cord, wherever the latter may be installed.

.A. still further aim is to make novel provision for connecting the cord with the outlet nipple of the refrigerator or other receptacle and to provide said cord with a liquid receiving end of funnel formation to insure that the liquid shall be properly fed to the body of said cord.

With the foregoing in view, the inven tion resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a sectional view partly in elevation showing one form of construction.

Figure 2 is'a detail horizontal section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Figure 8 is aside elevation showing the manner of constructing the funnel-shaped end of the cord and connecting it with a collar by means of which it is attached ,to the receptacle outlet neck.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view looking down upon 'a' form of supporting bracket which may be used to carry the cord out of a basement door or window.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the arrangement shown in Fig. 4:.

feeding of the drippings thereto.

Figure 6 is a detail vertical sectional view illustrating the manner in which the cord may be carried through the wall of a building to discharge the drippings around the roots of a tree or plant.

Figure 7 is a detail elevation illustrating the manner in which the cord may be passed outwardly through a window.

Figure 8 is a side elevation showing a different manner of mounting the capillary cord where it passes through the floor.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of the cord guide shown in Fig. 8.

Figure 10 is a View similar to Fig. 8 showing a still different form of construction.

Figures 11 and 12 are respectively an end view and a side elevation showing one form of guide and support which may be used for a portion of the capillary cord.

Figure 13 is a view similar to Fig. 12 but illustrating a different form of guide and support.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 designates a portion of a refrigerator having in its bottom the usual outlet neck 2 for the drippings. Instead of resting a pan upon the floor 3 to receive these drippings however, 1 provide a capillary cord 4. This cord is preferably of woven or braided construction and is frayed at its upper end to provide a plurality of separate strands 5 which are adapted to surround the neck 2 or possibly to be placed within this neck, forming a. funnel-shaped end of the cord which will insure proper In the preferred form of my invention,the strands 5 are passed through the several convolutions of a coil spring 6 which is'stretched around the neck 2 or possibly expanded within this neck, thereby forming a collar for attaching the funnel-shaped cord end to the refrigeratoror the like.

'The cord may lead to any desired point for discharging the drippings carried along it by capillarity but as shown in Fig. 1, I prefer to pass this cord directly down through anopening 7 in the floor 3. Above the floor, I have shown a guide ring8 through which the cord 4 passes, said ring having a pair of supporting arms 9 which may well be secured to the floor as shown. The portions of these arms adjacent the ring 8, incline from this ring so that even if the cord touches the eye, which is not intended, no water will drip from the cord as it cannot run up the inclined arm portions 10.

Below the floor 3, I have shown a second guide eye 11 having a pair of attachingarms 12 which incline from said eyeto be secured to the lower side of the floor. Either of the rings 8l1 and its attaching arms may well be formed from a single piece of wire but it will be understood that this construction is not absolutely essential.

Immediately below the guide ring or eye 11, I have shown a corner bracket 13 suitably anchored at 14 to one of the floor joists. This bracket is usually formed of triangular shape with one curved side 15 having a plurality of pin-hooks 16 engaging the cord. In actual. practice, I have found that due to the extremely fine wire of which the hooks 16 are formed, it is not essential that they shall incline from the cord, there being no tendency of the liquid with which the cord is saturated to leave the latter and drip from the hooks.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1, the cord 4, after leaving the hooks 16 is supported by another appropriate hook 17 with its free end positioned in or over a suitable receptacle 18, such as a laundry tub, pail or the like.

It is to be understood, as above suggested, that the cord may lead to any desired point for discharging the drippings. If it is intended to carry the cord, for instance out of a basement door or window, and then extend it laterally from this door or win dow, a supporting bracket such as that in dicated at 19 in Figs. l and 5. may well be secured in the upper portion of the door or window frame, said bracket being: provided with a plurality of pin-hooks or the like 20 to engage the cord and support the same, as well as holding it out of contact with the frame, as touching of the cord against practically any part, will cause drippage of water therefrom. As it is necessary that the cord shall take downward course from its receiving end to its terminal, the bracket 19 is either inclined or its hooks 20 are of diiferent lengths to slightly incline the cord.

In Fig. 6, the cord passes loosely through an opening 21 in a wall 22, and is supported by a pin-hook 23 from an appropriate arm 24 secured to the wall in. any desired man ner. In this view, I have also shown the cord tied around a tree or plant 25, so as to discharge the water around the roots of the latter to promote growth. This detail may obviously be used, regardless of the manner in which the cord is supported.

Fig. 7 illustrates a still further manner of passing the cord from the inside of a building to the outside thereof. In this View, the cord in question merely passes through a notch 26 in the window sash or frame 27, being of course held from contact with these parts by any preferred means, such as a suitable arrangement of pin-hooks (not shown).

- In the construction in Fig. 8, the numeral 30 designates a coiled spring forming a guide for the cord l, where the latter passes through an opening in the floor 3. Substantially the upper half of the guide 30 is closely coiled while the portion of said guide below the floor line may have its convolutions more widely spaced. The upgermost convolution of the guide 30 has its free end extended vertically upward as at 31, then inclined downwardly as indicated at 82, and finally bent to form a central guide eye 83 for the cord 4:. The lowermost convolution is bent to form a guide eye for the cord to which is soldered or otherwise secured an eye 36 formed on the upper end of a coiled extension 37 which is preferably formed of finer wire than the coiled guide 80. The convolutions of the extension 37 by preference grow smaller toward the lower end of this extension and are more closely spaced, giving a more acute curve to the lower end of the extension, than to the remainder thereof. This extension forms a desirable means whereby the cord may be gradually turned laterally after passing downwardly through the eyes 33 and 35. lVhile any preferred means may be employed for attaching the guide 30 and associated parts to the floor 3, I prefer that one of the innermost convolutions of said guide shall be bent outwardly at intervals to provide feet 38 through which attaching screws or the like may be passed.

In Figure 10, l have shown a vertical sheet metal tube 39 passing through an opening in the floor 8 and provided in its .upper end with a cup-like supporting portion which is equipped with a floor-engaging flange ll adapted to be secured to the floor by screws or other desired fasteners. The support 40 may be connected with the tubular guide 39 by any preferred means but I have shown a band 42 surrounding the adjacent portions of these parts and secured to both. lVithin the tubular central portion of the support 40, a guide a3 is provided for the cable 4 while a similar guide 44L is provided in the lower end of said guide 39, the two guides 4-3 and ll being preferably formed of wire as shown. The numeral 45 designates a coiled guide extension similar to the extension 37 above described, the upper portion of said extension 45 however being coiled about the lower end portion of the tube 89 to connect it with this tube.

InFigures l1 and 12 I have shown a cord guide and support which may be used wherever desired, for instance in place of the bracket 19 shown in'Figs. 4: and 5. The numeral 46 designates a length of spring metal which may be secured at either end or bet-ween its ends to any suitable support, such as the bracket 47. At longitudinally spaced points, this spring 46 is provided with laterally extending pin-hooks 48 to engage the cord 4 and While these pin-hooks may be attached to the spring 46 many manner, I prefer to press tongues 49 from said spring around the shanks of the hooks as shown. While the spring 4:6 is normally straight, it will bow to any desired extent, according to the pull upon the cord 4:.

Figure 13 shows a device similar to that of Figs. 11 and 12, which may be used wherever desired. In this construction, a coiled spring 50 is provided at intervals with laterally extending pin-hooks 51 to engage the cord 4.

lVhen the device is first installed, or if the cord is allowed to dry after it has been used, it is necessary to prime said cord by moistening it in any desired manner. When once moistened, however, it will continually carry ofi the drippings from the icebox or other receptacle and will discharge them at any desired point. In actual practice, the invention is proving highly efiicient and in every way desirable and since excellent results may be obtained from the details disclosed, they are preferably followed. It will be understood however, that within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous modifications may be made. Furthermore, although I have herein used the term capillary cord, it is to be clearly understood that this does not restrict me to a cord of circular cross-section, as a flat strip of suitable material would operate to equal advantage. Moreover, by the term capillary cord, I contemplate the use of any capillary element which will produce the desired results. Also, it will be understood that the parts necessary to support the cord from beginning to end, can be made of any material, such as wire, fiat metal, and pressed or stamped metal.

I claim:

1. A receptacle drain comprising an expansible self-contracting collar to surround an outlet neck of the receptacle, and a capillary cord connected with said collar to be suspended thereby.

2. A receptacle drain comprising a capillary cord having a funnel-shaped end adapted to engage an out-let for drippings from the receptacle.

3. A receptacle drain comprising a collar to engage an outlet neck of the receptacle, and a capillary cord having a funnel-shaped end attached to said collar.

4:. A receptacle drain comprising a. capillary cord raveled at one end into a plurality of strands, and means for holding said strands in funnel formation around an outlet nipple of the receptacle.

5. A receptacle drain comprising a capil lary cord raveled at one end into a plurality of strands, and a collar to which said strands are secured in funnel formation, said collar being adapted for engagement with an outlet nipple of the receptacle.

6. A receptacle drain comprising a capillary cord raveled at one end into a plurality of strands, and a collar to surround an outlet nipple of the receptacle, said collar being formed of a coiled spring to whose convolutions said strands are secured.

7. A receptacle drain comprising a hollow guide and means for mounting it vertically within a floor opening, said guide having upper and lower eyes, a curved coiled extension on the lower end of said guide, and a capillary cord passing through said guide eyes and said coiled extension, the upper end of said cord being adapted for connection to a receptacle drip outlet.

8. A structure as specified in claim 7, said guide being in the form of a tube and having a cup-like upper end provided with a floor flange forming said mounting means. 9. A receptacle drain comprising a capillary cord adapted to have its upper end connected to a receptacle drip outlet, and a support for a portion of said cord having a plurality of pin hooks engaging the latter.

10. A structure as specified in claim 9; said support being formed of an elongated spring capable. of bowing longitudinally, said spring having said pin hooks disposed at longitudinally spaced points.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aifixed my signature.

RICHARD A. AINSA. 

